About Thoughtful Play
Smart video game analysis by smart college students
Started in 2019 to support mentored undergraduate research, Thoughtful Play publishes undergraduate research and writing about video games. Dr. Rebecca Richards (University of Massachusetts Lowell) moderates and edits Thoughtful Play and incorporates it inter her courses for the Journalism and Professional Writing program at UML.
Thoughtful Play encourages dialogue and conversation beyond “is it fun?” or “did I like it” to ask how video games present complex arguments much in the way books, films, and other cultural artifacts do.
After taking a hiatus during the the early years of COVID-19, Thoughtful Play returns to engage students, players, and scholars alike in advanced video game analysis
how pieces get published
What We Publish
01
Classwork exhibited
Dr. Richards’ students are encouraged to tailor their pieces to this portal, and she provides editorial review over all publishing.
02
Mentored Undergraduate Research
Professors mentor undergraduate projects and contact Dr. Richards for publishing guidelines where the mentoring professor and Dr. Richards have editorial review.
03
Aspirational: Open submission
While not yet a reality, Thoughtful Play hopes to solicit submissions in the near future. Stay tuned to the website to learn how to submit your work.
Who we Are
Below are brief biographical sketches and links to the creators and contributors of Thoughtful Play
Anthony Dungan, ’20
Contributor
Tony has been playing video games for almost longer than he can remember. It all started when his parents would let him watch them play Star Wars video games, and his obsession that started then has only become more rabid. Almost two decades later, Anthony has started mixing academic work into his love of video games. After watching a thoughtful, engaging presentation on The Last of Us by a professor from St. Olaf College, Anthony knew that he had to attend St. Olaf to improve his writing skills and hopefully have a chance to engage in academic work on video games. This wish was granted, and resulted in Posthumanism and Rhetoric in Video Games.
Israa Khalifa, ’19
Contributor
Israa Khalifa studied sociology and anthropology at St. Olaf College.
